Business News and Information

eBay sellers have had it. A few weeks ago eBay announced it was raising fees and making changes to the feedback structure, prompting many North American sellers to close shop and return to more traditional outlets such as flea markets, fairs, and bazaars.

eBay sellers promise to strike Feb 18-25. Suzanne Wells, writer for Power Seller King and a single parent who earns a living through eBay, wrote about the impending strike earlier this month.

Bloggers at Epicenter noted a slight dip in activity was expected, with hundreds of sellers sniffing “this is the last straw.”

eBay has released their first quarter reports and there’s some good news and some bad news, depending on which side of this coin you stand. Sellers may be pleased to see a 6% drop in North American listings.

On the flip side, international listings for the auction site have risen 27%, resulting in an overall growth of 12%. This is would be the good news I was talking about.

The boycotting eBay vendors have formed a group and website, Feebay Refugees, where you can see all the sellers either temporarily or permanently leaving the site. Fee hikes aside, a major source of contention; sellers can no longer leave negative feedback about buyers.

Christopher Null, The Working Guy, points out 90% of sellers are unhappy with the policy change. And while eBay boycotts are common and universally unsuccessful, this one may have a tad more pull.

AuctionBytes says eBay is offering a listing promotion until the 20^th, the day new discounts for media sellers goes into effect.